Editing BMP-1 (section)

== Development ==
{{Main|BMP development}}
The Red Army's [[mechanized infantry]] [[Military tactics|tactics]] during the 1950s were similar to World War II methods, in which APCs were used as "battle taxis". They would keep the infantry in close proximity to the battle tanks during movement, but on enemy contact they would unload their infantry before retreating to safer areas.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=6}} This was in contrast to the German doctrine of [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s manifested in the [[Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30]], where the vehicles were supposed to stay with the tanks and engage lighter targets, both to take a burden off the tanks and to support their infantry squads.

Existing APCs offered little or no protection from either nuclear or chemical weapons, as they were either open-topped or could not be sealed sufficiently. Furthermore, the infantry had to disembark to be able to use their weapons.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=6}}

The requirement for the BMP, which was first drawn up in the late 1950s, stressed speed, good armament, and the ability for all squad members to shoot from within the vehicle. The armament had to provide direct support for dismounted infantry in the attack and defense, and to be able to destroy comparable light armored vehicles.{{sfnp|Hull|Markov|Zaloga|1999|p=239}} The vehicle needed to protect the crew from .50 cal machinegun fire and 20–23&nbsp;mm caliber autocannons across the frontal arc, as well as from light shell fragments at distances between 500&nbsp;m and 800&nbsp;m.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=7}}

Firepower consisted of the innovative combination of the 73&nbsp;mm [[2A28 Grom]] gun and a launcher for the [[9K11 Malyutka|9M14 Malyutka]] (AT-3A Sagger A) anti-tank wire-guided missile (ATGM). The gun was intended to engage enemy armored vehicles and [[firing points]] at a range of up to {{convert|700|m|yd}}. The missile launcher was intended to be used against targets that were {{convert|500|to|3000|m|yd}} away.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=7}}

Requirements were issued to the various design bureaus between 1959 and 1960. There was a question as to whether the BMP should be tracked or wheeled, so a number of experimental configurations were explored, including hybrid wheeled/tracked designs.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=7–8}}

The tracked Ob'yekt 764 (codename Object 764) was chosen because its front-engine design provided a convenient and fast way of mounting and dismounting through two rear doors. The original prototype was built in 1964, followed by the improved Ob'yekt 765 in 1965, which was accepted by the Army in 1966, under a designation BMP-1.<ref name=tvo>{{cite journal |first=Semyon |last=Fedoseev |title=BMP-1 |journal=Tekhnika I Vooruzhenie |number=4 |date=2001 |pages=4–12 |language=ru}}</ref> The [[120th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] was the first formation in the Soviet Union to test prototypes of the new BMP ("objekt 765") infantry fighting vehicle in January–November 1965, under the command of Guards Major Vasiliy Samodelov. Small-scale production began in 1966.{{sfnp|Zaloga|Sarson|1994|p=7–8}}

=== Table of models ===
{| class="wikitable" width=100% style="border-top:3px double #999; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center; font-size:small;" summary="Characteristics of the main models of the BMP series"
|+ style="font-size:larger; text-align:left;" | Characteristics of the main models of the BMP series
|-style="vertical-align:bottom; border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
! || BMP<br /> (ob'yekt 765Sp1) || BMP-1<br /> (объект 765Sp2) || BMP-1<br /> (объект 765Sp3) || BMP-1P<br /> (объект 765Sp4/5) || BMP-1D || [[BMP-2]] || [[BMP-3]]
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Weight<br /> (tonnes)
| 12.6 || 13.0 || 13.2 || 13.4 || 14.5 || 14.0 || 18.7
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Crew
|colspan=5 style="text-align:center;"| 3+8
|colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| 3+7
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |Main gun
|colspan=5 style="text-align:center;"| 73&nbsp;mm 2A28 "Grom" low pressure smoothbore semi-automatic gun
|style="text-align:center;"| 30&nbsp;mm [[2A42]] autocannon
|style="text-align:center;"| 100&nbsp;mm 2A70 rifled automatic<br /> gun/missile-launcher<br /> 30&nbsp;mm 2A72 autocannon
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |Machine gun(s)
|colspan=6 style="text-align:center;"| 7.62&nbsp;mm [[PKT machine gun|PKT]] coaxial
|style="text-align:center;"| 3 × 7.62&nbsp;mm [[PKT machine gun|PKT]]<br /> (1 coaxial, 2 bow mounted)
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |ATGM<br /> (NATO designation)
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"| [[9M14 Malyutka|9M14&nbsp;"Malyutka"]]<br /> (AT-3&nbsp;Sagger)<br /> and variants
| style="text-align:center;"| [[9M113 Konkurs|9M113&nbsp;"Konkurs"]]<br /> (AT-5&nbsp;Spandrel)<br /> or<br /> [[9M111 Fagot|9M111&nbsp;"Fagot"]]<br /> (AT-4&nbsp;Spigot)<br /> and variants
|style="text-align:center;"| [[9M14 Malyutka|9M14&nbsp;"Malyutka"]] or<br /> [[9M113 Konkurs|9M113&nbsp;"Konkurs"]] or<br /> removed (on most vehicles)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-rus-bmp1/a_bmp1d.htm |title=БМП-1Д |trans-title=BMP-1D |website=Otvaga |access-date=14 March 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210053448/http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-rus-bmp1/a_bmp1d.htm |archive-date=10 February 2012}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"| [[9M113 Konkurs|9M113 "Konkurs"]]<br /> (AT-5 Spandrel)<br /> or<br /> [[9M111 Fagot|9M111 "Fagot"]]<br /> (AT-4 Spigot)<br /> and variants
|style="text-align:center;"| [[9M117 Bastion|9M117 "Bastion"]]<br /> (AT-10 Stabber)
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |Engine
|colspan=5 style="text-align:center;"| UTD-20 6-cylinder 4-stroke V-shaped<br /> airless-injection water-cooled diesel<br /> developing {{convert|300|hp|kW|abbr=on}} at 2,600&nbsp;rpm
|style="text-align:center;"| UTD-20S1 diesel<br /> developing<br /> {{convert|300|hp|kW|abbr=on}}<br /> at 2,600&nbsp;rpm
|style="text-align:center;"| UTD-29M 10-cylinder diesel<br /> developing<br /> {{convert|500|hp|kW|abbr=on}}<br /> at 2,600&nbsp;rpm
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |Power-to-weight ratio<br /> hp/tonne<br /> (kW/tonne)
| 23.8<br /> (17.8) || 23.1<br /> (17.2) || 22.7<br /> (17.0) || 22.4<br /> (16.7) || 20.7<br /> (15.5) || 21.4<br /> (16.0) || 26.7<br /> (20.0)
|}